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In the book of Daniel is an amazing prophecy revealing precisely WHEN the Messiah was to appear—as well as exactly WHAT He was to accomplish!

      Do you KNOW Yahshua is the Messiah? Can you PROVE it—from Bible prophecy? Fundamentalist Protestants believe Yahshua is the Messiah. But many cannot prove it! They accept these things on sheer faith.

      Such a “belief”—such a “faith”—is weak, wishy-washy and utterly worthless, in YAHWEH’s sight! Empty faith—DEAD faith, the kind held by most people, today—will not save a single soul! There is no need to assume that Yahshua is the Messiah. YOU can know for sure!

      The Old Testament is FULL of detailed, plain prophecies referring to the coming of “The Messiah”—or Yahshua, “The Anointed One.” From Genesis to Malachi, prophecies reveal many facets of both the first and second coming of Yahshua Messiah. But no Old Testament prophecy pinpoints the EXACT TIME of the coming of Yahshua Messiah, and what would occur, as specifically as the book of Daniel.

      Turn in your Bible to Daniel 9, and read the prophecy for yourself. The prophet Daniel lived during the days of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and on into the reign of Darius the Mede and Cyrus the Persian. “In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes” (Dan 9:1-2), Daniel set his face to seek YAHWEH, seeking Him through prayer and fasting (verses 3-4). Daniel confessed his sins, and the sins of the people, and besought YAHWEH for His forgiveness.

      While Daniel was praying, YAHWEH sent the archangel Gabriel, who told Daniel, “O Daniel, I am now come forth to give skill and understanding…therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision” (Dan 9:21-23). What was this vision—this prophecy?

Seventy Weeks Prophecy

Beginning in verse 24, “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.”

“Seventy weeks”—how are they to be understood? The day-for-a-year principle of Bible prophecy is understood by many students of the Bible. In Numbers 14:34 YAHWEH told the Israelites, “After the number of the DAYS in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day FOR A YEAR, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years…” Thus, a day in Bible prophecy is often a YEAR BEING FULFILLED!

This same prophetic principle is found in Ezekiel 4. Prophesying about the punishment and siege of Israel, YAHWEH told Ezekiel, “It is a sign to the house of Israel. And you, lie down on your left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel on it. The number of the days that you shall lie down on it, you shall bear their iniquity. For I have laid on you the years of their iniquity, according to the number of days: three hundred and ninety days. And you shall bear the house of Israel’s iniquity. And when you complete them, even lie on your right side, the second. And you shall bear the house of Judah’s iniquity forty days; a day for a year. I have given it for you, A DAY FOR A YEAR” (Ezek 4:3-6).

Therefore, seventy weeks represents 70 times 7 or 490 days—that is, since days stand for prophetic YEARS, a total of 490 YEARS. What was to happen at the end of these years?

Let us continue the prophecy.

The Decree of Artaxerxes

Daniel 9:25 explains, “Know, then, and understand that from the issuing of the word to restore and to rebuild Jerusalem, to Messiah the Prince, shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. It shall be built again, with a plaza and a trench, even in times of affliction.” What decree was this? When was it given?

In the seventh year of Artaxerxes, King of Persia, Ezra came to Jerusalem (Ezra 7:1,7-9). With him he had a letter containing the DECREE of Artaxerxes, permitting the rebuilding and restoration of Jerusalem!

“Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra the priest…Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the Elohim of heaven, perfect peace, and at such a time. I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with you. Forasmuch as you art sent of the king, and of his seven counselors, to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem…” (Verses 11-26.)

In this decree Ezra was given authority to take with him all the Jews wishing to return to Jerusalem and to REBUILD THE TEMPLE, the house of YAHWEH, and whatever else YAHWEH commanded.

What year was this decree given? What year was the “seventh year of Artaxerxes”?

In recent years an abundance of documents, business records, and astronomical tablets, from the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, have been translated, and help us determine when the decree of Artaxerxes was written. These records reveal that Xerxes died late in December, 465 B.C. His death could not have occurred earlier or later, because documents dated in the last month of his reign, and in the first month of his successor have been found. Thus, his son, Artaxerxes, came to the throne in December, 465 B.C.

Since the Persians reckoned the years of their kings from spring to spring, Artaxerxes’ first year was from April, 464 B.C. to April 463 B.C. The preceding months of his reign are simply called his “accession year.”

The Jews in Palestine in Ezra and Nehemiah’s day, however, counted civil years from FALL to FALL. They always postdated the reigns of Gentile rulers—that is, counted from the fall after the first year officially began. Therefore, according to Jewish reckoning, the first “year” of the reign of Artaxerxes would have been September, 464 to September, 463 B.C. This information maybe corroborated in The Chronology of Ezra 7, as well as other thorough books on archaeology dealing with this period.

The SEVENTH YEAR of Artaxerxes, therefore, was September, 458 to September 457 B.C, according to Jewish reckoning. Ezra left Babylon and came to Jerusalem in Artaxerxes’ seventh year—the year of the decree—his journey lasting five months (Ezra 7:8-9), and occurring during the first five months of the year— from Nisan in 457, corresponding to our April, to the month Ab, corresponding to our August.

Now notice! The prophecy was that FROM the year of the issuance of Artaxerxes’ decree there would be “seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks”—till the appearance of the Messiah! In other words, from 457 B.C, in the fall, till Yahshua appeared on the scene, there were to be SIXTY-NINE PROPHETIC WEEKS—a total of 69 times 7 or 483 years!

To what year does this bring us?

The Year Yahshua Appeared

Figure it out yourself! Just 483 years after 457 B.C brings us to exactly A.D 27!

Halley claimed, in his Handbook, the date the Messiah was to appear was 26 A.D. However, there is no year zero. Therefore, in crossing from B.C. to A.D. or vice versa, a year must be added to the total to arrive at the correct date!

Notice:

483 years were to pass, beginning from

457 B.C. when the decree went forth, bringing us to 26 A.D.—however, one year must be added

1 in crossing from B.C. to A.D., bringing us to 27 A.D.—since there is no year zero.

Notice carefully—there is no year zero—simply a year 1 B.C and a year 1 A.D. Supposedly, between these two years the birth of Yahshua occurred! This, however, is not true. The monk who gave us our present dating system made a slight miscalculation in his figures. But, notice—for example—if you want to count ten years from 5 B.C., simply by counting the number of elapsed years, you come to 6 A.D. However, if you subtract 5 B.C from 10, the result is 5 A.D. Obviously, this is wrong, as simply counting shows.

Therefore, you must ADD ONE YEAR to arrive at the correct answer when subtracting—bringing you to 6 A.D!

Therefore, the year the Messiah was to appear was 27 A.D! What happened in 27 A.D?

This was the historical year when Yahshua Messiah BEGAN HIS MINISTRY! This was the very year He was baptized, tempted of Satan the Devil in the wilderness, and BEGAN to call His disciples! Bible chronology and history prove Yahshua began His ministry in 27 A.D.

In 27 A.D the MESSIAH appeared—Yahshua Messiah! No one else came upon the scene of Israel that year doing YAHWEH’s Work.

Yahshua Messiah began His ministry PRECISELY on schedule—exactly 483 years after the decree of Artaxerxes! But that is not all. Now, notice the REST of the prophecy!

Messiah to be CUT OFF

Verse 26, Daniel 9, “And after sixty-two weeks, Messiah shall be CUT OFF, but not for Himself…” AFTER 483 years, then, the Messiah was to be “cut off.” What does this mean?

Turn to Isaiah 53 for the answer. Prophesying about the Messiah, Isaiah declared, “Surely He has borne our sicknesses, and He carried our pain… But he was wounded for OUR transgressions; He was bruised for OUR iniquities…” (Isa 53:4-5).

Further, Isaiah records, “He was taken from prison and from justice; and who shall consider His generation? For He was CUT OFF out of the land of the living; for the transgression of My people, the stroke was to Him” (Verse 8).

Yahshua, the Messiah, was “cut off”—KILLED—CRUCIFIED—not for Himself, but for our sins!

But—how long “after” the sixty-nine weeks? The last part of Daniel 9:26 shows that after Yahshua’s crucifixion, “And the people of a coming ruler”—that is, the Roman armies under Titus and Vespasian— “That shall come shall DESTROY THE CITY and the Sanctuary.” This was fulfilled in 70 A.D. when the Roman armies besieged Jerusalem, destroyed the inhabitants, burned the temple, and razed the city to the ground! “And its end shall be with the flood, and ruins are determined, and war shall be until the end,” Daniel concludes (verse 26, last part). The Romans DESOLATED the city and the surrounding area!

But—again, HOW LONG “after” the sixty-nine weeks was the Messiah to be “cut off”?

When Yahshua Returns!

When Yahshua Messiah returns to this earth, He will CONFIRM the covenant He made with His people. He will confirm the covenant He made with Abraham, promising that his seed would inherit the entire WORLD (see Gen 17:4-8; 22:16-18). Abraham and his spiritual seed through Yahshua will inherit “THE WORLD” (Rom 4:13).

When Yahshua returns, Abraham and the saints will RISE to meet Him in the air (1st Thess 4:13-17).

They will then REIGN with Him, over the nations of the earth (Rev 2:26-27; 5:10).

And, at that time, Yahshua will make a NEW COVENANT with His people Israel, and write His laws in their hearts and upon their minds (Heb 8:6-10). Yahshua will complete His ministry to ISRAEL, teaching them His ways. Rebels will be purged out from among His people, but the others, who repent of their sins and loathe themselves for their evil deeds, will be forgiven and will come to KNOW YAHWEH (Ezek 20:35- 38, 43-44).

Seventy Weeks—Soon Fulfilled

Daniel 9, the “seventy weeks prophecy,” has already—for the most part—been fulfilled. History proves that Yahshua Messiah—and NONE OTHER—was the One who fulfilled the prophecies of Daniel 9:24-27. He is the Messiah! No one else appeared at the time mentioned, or did the things mentioned.

Truly, Yahshua IS the Messiah! Bible PROPHECY proves this fact beyond the faintest shadow of a doubt. There is no need to vaguely “assume” or “think” that Yahshua was FOR REAL. The PROOF is incontestable—irrefutable!

And soon, now, that very same Yahshua Messiah is going to RETURN to this earth and complete the fulfillment of Daniel 9—and usher in “EVERLASTING RIGHTEOUSNESS” when He returns, “to seal up the vision and prophecy” (verse 24).

The prophecy given in Daniel 9:24-27 is truly one of the most amazing, startling prophecies in the entire Word of YAHWEH! It gives a pinpointed, detailed explanation of the FIRST coming of Yahshua Messiah— even giving us the EXACT DATE HE WAS TO BEGIN HIS MINISTRY! It shows that He was to be “CUT OFF”—crucified for our sins—giving His life for us, thereby causing the need for other sacrifices, given as a picture of our need for forgiveness, to CEASE. Soon, now, Yahshua Messiah will RETURN to complete this amazing prophecy.

The Truth is overwhelming! How thankful we should be that YAHWEH is revealing the real meaning of Bible prophecy! How thankful, that our faith is NOT merely empty superstition or “belief,” but is based on the proven and tested, SURE WORD OF YAHWEH!

Will you be ready when Yahshua returns to COMPLETE His ministry?